Presence
by Caytlyn 88
Summary: SEASON ONE. Doyle has a vision of a young girl. What kind of trouble will this bring? Ch. Six FINALLY up. Read and Review! Sorry it's a bit late...
1. Chapter the first

Presence Caytlyn 88 Disclaimer- I do not own any of the ANGEL characters... um, yeah. If I did, d'ya think I'd be living in the middle of nowhere? Uh, NO. So, do the math, and notice that they are not mine. I'm just inviting them out to play.  
  
NOTICE- Yes, I have an OC. Hopefully not a Mary Sue. No pairings as of yet, but who knows? Maybe. This takes place somewhere in season one, after 'Lonely Hearts', but before 'Hero', so there is Doyle here. First chapter written a long time ago. The OC is based on myself, to an extent, and named after me, b/c I am not that creative.  
  
Presence, chapter one  
  
PROLOGUE  
In the dark, the girl runs. She stumbles, and looks over her shoulder at the shadows. She rises to her feet again, and stands still a moment. As she watches the shadows, they move. No fear is evident on the girl's face, yet if you knew her well enough, the blue of her eyes would tell you all you needed to know, and more. The girl finally looks away, and begins running again. She doesn;t look back, though she should.  
The shadow she'd been watching moves. Two pinpricks of light become visible, and the demon hiding there wonders why such a fuss about a mere girl. His tribe of demons had sent him to spy on her, follow her. He'd not been told why; he watched her commence running. She shouldn't have been able to see him in the shadows, in the dark. The demon had been following her for the past week, and she usually stopped at this time of night. Tonight, though, she kept running, harder than earlier. It was almoist as if she had sensed him...  
  
The girl contines to run. She felt as if someone had been watching her, and it wasn't the first time. She resisted the urge to turn back, and ran harder, with legs made stronger by two weeks of running every day, and lungs with better endurance from years of breathing patterns. She runs from her past, and is tired, yet pushes onward.  
  
  
  
I usually went to bed around this time at night, I mused to myself. I kept running, though, careful to avoid the shadows. It felt like they were watching me, had been for a while.  
I ran from my past, from my life. The first part of my life had ended with a bang, and fireworks. Literally. It was behind me now, and I was determined to keep it that way. I was going to keep away from people. I didn't need anyone, and they'd be better off away from me; especially after what happened before.  
  
*******  
  
Angel was sitting on the couch in the offices of Angel Investigations. He was supporting Doyle, who was in the throes of a vision. Cordelia knelt by his side, holding a glass of water and Tylenol. Doyle thrashed a final time, and surfaced from his vision.  
"There's a girl downtown. She's gonna be killed by a cult of demons and two of their worshippers." Doyle's green eyes looked worried. "I can't tell what kind of demons they are." Angel moved to grab some weapons.  
"Wait! It doesn't happen until tomorrow, Angel."  
"Can you tell me where, and what they look like? Why would they want a girl?" Angel mused partly to Doyle, and partly to himself.  
"In my vision, there's somethin' else. I don't know what, though. Somethn' about the girl." Doyle massaged his temples, and swallowed half the glass of water with three pills. "Something important."  
Angel sighed, knowing that night was going to be filled with research. Oh, joy.  
  
The next day, Angel and Doyle were in an alley, in an abandoned part of LA. Doyle was reasonablysure this was the right alley. Angel was hoping that Doyle was right. Angel, Doyle, and Cordelia had been up all night, researching on bits of what Doyle had seen. Predictably, they had come up with nothing.  
While Angel was lost in his own thoughts, Doyle was hoping that he had been correct, and this was the alley. The two of them had been here for a little more than three hours, after the sun had set. Doyle sighed, and played the vision over in his mind, in case he'd missed anything.  
There came the girl, running down tha alley. It was dark out, and she glanced over her shoulder in fear; behind her were half a dozen demons, and two of their worshippers. The girl halted and looked over her her shoulder again, breathing hard. Doyle caught a glimpse of her dark green eyes, which looked remarkably like his own. She ran out into the street, and was cornered against a building...  
That was all Doyle had seen. It was as if his vision had been cut off. Then, while he was reviewing the first vision, another struck him. It picked up where the first one had cut off: The girl was up against the wall, demons on one side, and a stack of wooden crates on the other. One of the demons approached her, as the others started cheering. He reached a hand out to touch her face. All of a sudden, the girl spun, and grabbed a slat off the crate. She whipped it at the demon and- the vision ended, and Doyle slowly watched his surroundings come back into focus. Angel was supporting him, so he wouldn`t fall to the glass-littered ground.  
"What did you see?" Angel asked. "Did you see that girl again?"  
"Yeah, we're in the right place. It's gonna happen soon. In a few minutes." Angel asked, "Which way are they going to come?" Doyle pointed, and said, demonstrating, "And they will go that way. We have to stay here until she plays out my vision. Otherwise, she won't trust us."  
"Is this the missing link from your first vision?" Doyle nodded.  
"Yeah, and shh! Here they come." Angel, still half-supporting Doyle, dragged him deeper into the shadows. Together, they watched the girl come running down the alley. She had a duffel bag bouncing against her side, slowing her down only slightly. She didn't see Angel and Doyle watching from the shadows, as she ran past.  
After she hit the street, the demons and their followers followed, and were moving faster than she had been. After they had vanished, Angel and Doyle moved after them, still hiding. Angel hadn't brought any weapons, which they now realized was a mistake.  
They watched as the demons cornered the girl against a building, like in Doyle's vision. As the lead demon was about to lay a hand on her, she suddenly whirled around, and grabbed a slat off some crates behind her. She slammed it into the lead demon's face, almost faster than the human eye.  
Doyle was watching the scene before him, waiting for the right moment, replaying the last bit of his vision. Then, he heard something he hadn't heard before: I may die, but they killed my brother! They can't get away without SOME pain for what they did to me. It was the girl's voice, in his mind. It was from right now, not his vision- how was that possible?  
Angel and Doyle watched as the demon she had hit recovered, and dove at the girl angrily. The two finally ran out of the shadows, and Angel charged. Suddenly, the half circle of demons flew back away from the girl as they converged on her. They flew across the street, and Angel began to fight the demons that had recovered, as Doyle went to the girl.  
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The girl asked frantically. "You need to leave, NOW! Before I hurt you!"  
"How are you going to hurt me? Besides, we're here ta help ya," Doyle said. "We were passin' by, and heard you screaming." He thought wryly, I can't exactly tell her I had a vision of her, now can I?  
"Oh, you had a vision about me?" She asked, calming a bit. Then, she freaked again, "Oh, no! I am SO sorry!" And with that, she bolted.  
Doyle was still recovering from the shock of what had happened, as he watched her run. The girl was a psychic! That's why his vision had been cut off; it could have changed, and they would have figured out she was a psychic by this time otherwise. It also explained the demons flying, and her voice in his head.  
Meanwhile, Angel had been fighting the demons all alone. There were two of the six unconscious, which meant four were still mobile. The human followers had followed the psychic, and were almost out of sight. Torn between following the girl to find out about her, and helping his friend, he sighed. Doyle then dove into the fight to help Angel out.  
  
AN2. So, I hope you liked this. More will come, and this may be pretty long. I myself am not sure yet. Between school and hobs, updating may be slow... lemme know. R&R, for more. Let me know if this is worth writing, and if anyone read this. ~Cayt~ 


	2. Chapter the second

Presence  
  
Disclaimer- nope. Still don't own anything. Sorry to disappoint.  
  
AN- The spacing on here may be a bit messed up. My computer is being mean (insert scowl). Between school and whatnot, I will try to get at least one chapter up a week, unless I hit writer's block. As before, r&r, let me know if anyone is reading, or if I am wasting my time... even then, I may continue. Let the muses have their way with me. And BTW, last time, the telepathy didn't show up right... visions, if any more occur, will be in **...** Telepathy will be , and thoughts will be '...' Darn computer.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
A few days later, there had been no sign of the girl. Angel and Doyle had been to the streets, searching for information on the mysterious girl, to no avail. They were not going to give up, though. The girl obviously needed help controlling her abilites. So, three days later, Angel and Doyle agreed to meet in the morning, and go looking for her again. Cordelia had heard what had happened, and wanted "Nothing to do with some girl that can throw stuff at me without even meaning to, when I try to help her. I DO have SOME reservations about helping the helpless, and she clearly isn't", as she had so elegantly put it.  
  
(AN- Now it switches to first person POV, which is the girl's, and we finally learn her name. Sorry, I forgot to put it in the last bit)  
  
I walked nervously to the door marked ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS, and slowly opened it. After reading the one guy's mind, I wouldn't be surprised if they threw me out. I entered, and raised my eyes nervously from the worn, carpeted floor.  
There was a guy behind the desk, and he glanced up as I entered. Okay, I wasn't as quiet as I thought I was, obviously. "Um... hi?" I said, as if asking a question. I hadn't talked to many people since my brother had died. "I, um, met you the other day, in the street..." I trailed off. The guy rose, and came toward me. I stepped back, and he slowed down, backing off. He had a very pale complexion, and dark hair and eyes. He took another step, and I forced myself to stand my ground.  
I was nervous- I hadn't been this close to a person in a while. Except the people who wanted to hurt me, of course. I was so nervous, everything in the office began to vibrate. Some things fell off the guy's desk, and I stammered, "I am SO sorry. I-I.." Then, I heard, 'Doyle was right, she IS a psychic. And a pretty strong one too.' Terrified, I pushed the thoughts from my mind, and ignored them. I was no psychic. I was just... cursed.  
So, the guy came over, and said, "Hey, it's okay. I'm Angel, and I'd like to help you."  
"You mean, you can make it go away?" I asked eagerly, emotion seeping into my voice after oh-so-long. I knew my face wasn't showing what I was feeling, but if my voice could still carry emotion, maybe all wasn't lost after all.  
"No, that's not what I meant. I can help you get control of your powers, though." I backed away, asking, "What powers?" He ignored me, continuing as if I hadn't spoken.  
"You have to learn to control your abiliy. Otherwise, you will end up destroying things, and eventually yourself." "I- huh?" Pause. "Do you have a place to stay?"  
"No," I replied. "Why are you being so nice? Aren't you afraid I'll read your mind?" He answered, looking me straight in the eyes, "No, I am not. I... I'm a vampire. I have soul, though, and am destined to walk the earth for all eternity..." Amazed, I said, "And you say all this casually?"  
  
I woke up with a start, in the building I had entered last night. I had had this dream for the past two nights, after those two morons had tried to heroically save me. How could two normal humans help me? Anyone else who had even come close to me had been hurt.  
'Was the one guy truly a vampire with a soul?' I thought now. I was new to the whole supernatural scene, but from what I knew, this was really rare, if not impossible. I knew what the dream was trying to tell me- I had to go to them.  
I got up with a sigh, and rubbed sleep from my eyes. I picked up my bag, and went to make myself presentable. After I did, I went out the door, and took one step before I tensed,  
A guy jumped out of the shadows. I pulled away, as he grabbed my wrists. I tried to pull away, but he was stronger than I. I could smell the liquor on his breath as he whispered, "Come on. Play nicely now." He leered at me, and I kept my face blank, as was habit, almost instinct, by now. He stopped leering, and asked drunkenly, "No fear? What are you, retarded?" As he leaned in to kiss me, I struggled, as I felt a pull at my mind.  
Suddenly, the stranger was struck by a huge stuffed armchair, knocking him off, as he tried to approach me further with his mouth. As he was hit away, the pulling sensation at my mind was relieved, and I relaxed. Before he could rise, I ran away, bag bumping agaimst my side.  
  
A little while later, I walked to the door marked, as in my dream, ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS. I opened the door, and was hit by a sense of dejá vu. I closed the door softly, and looked up to see the guy from my dream behind the desk. No one else was in, apparently, probably because it was only 7:00 in the morning.  
As in my dream, once more, when I came in, the guy (Angel?) came around the desk to me. I forced myself not to back away. He asked me gently, "Hey, how are you?" I pointed at myself, and mouthed, me? He nodded, and continued, "I'm Angel. And you are?"  
"Um... I'm Caitlin." I thought to myself. Angel looked at me, and asked, "Why don't you need your last name anymore? And why are you nervous?  
NOW, I backed away slowly. I headed toward the door, wondering how he had heard what I was thinking. I reached the door, just as it swung open once more, admitting the guy whose mind I had read in the alley the other day. I ran into him, not seeing him at all. We fell to the floor, and I rolled off from on top of him, and prepared to run. Just like in the dream, everything in the office began to vibrate, as if sensing my discomfort. I stood, turned, and stepped forward to flee, only to be grabbed by the second guy. My shoulders held fast, I was stopped in my attempt to escape.  
"Hey, where are ya going? We only want to help you." I tensed, apparently visibly, because the guy's hands let go of my shoulders, just after everything in the office began to vibrate more violently. I backed away firther still, as Angel said, "Hey, it's okay. This is Doyle, you met him before."  
I shot a glance at the office, and said "STOP." I didn't really expect it to work, but the rattling was threatening to drive me insane. It did work, however. Abruptly, the rattling and vibrating stopped. Angel looked at me approvingly (Oh, how I had never recieved an approving look before. I almost longed for that... STOP IT! I don't care anymore.), and stated, "You've already learned to control your power..."  
"No, I haven't. That was just me, getting lucky." I said flatly. "I was wondering if you could help me. I've been having dreams telling me you could..." I faded off.  
Angel looked at curiosly, and asked, "You've been having dreams? Like, precognitive dreams?" I nodded. Out of things to say to break the ensuing silence, I asked suddenly, "Are you really a vampire with a soul?" More silence met my query. 'I have GOT to work on my people skills,' I thought to myself wryly.  
Finally, Angel replied, "Yes, I am. If we are going to work together, you need to know the truth, and trust me." I nodded again, silently. "I don't feed on people anymore. I'm trying to atone for my past, so you can trust me. If you want to. Now, what can you do, exactly?"  
I started to back away, before I stilled myself. I was still nervous, because I hadn't been around people for a few months, and he was rushing right in to help me. I had almost never had someone be that nice to me. Angel seemd to notice my reaction, and asked, "Why are you so nervous?" Doyle spoke for the first time in a while, and added, "We won't hurt ya... er, what was you're name?"  
Deciding to keep it short, I replied, "I haven't been around people much for the past while, and I don't trust them... you... much anymore. I am just wondering why you are being so nice, rushing right in to help me, a stranger." Warning bells were ringing insistently in my head, telling me to shut up, I was talking too much. Too much, I was going to get hurt. "And, it's Caitlin." I finished, now heeding the bells. Too many words always led to pain. The bells, imaginary thought they were, began screaming, as I felt extremely nervous from my speech. At least, it seemed a speech to me. My face blank, I hid my emotions, as once again, the office began to vibrate. Apparently, I wasn't as good at hiding my emotions as I had thought. A book hurtled through the air, flying straight for Doyle's head. As he ducked, I snatched it out of mid-air.  
Angel ducked his own stray book, and said, "Caitlin, your powers are connected to your emotions. Can you calm down, or at least-" Angel stopped in mid-sentence, as everything had frozen. Literally. The books hung in mid-air, along with papers and everything else. It was rather eerie, seeing everything flying around one second, and frozen the next.  
"Well, that was fast," Doyle commented at last. He looked at me, and asked, "How did you get control of your emotions so fast?" I stammered, "I- I can't explain. I... I just know how to hide my emotions." I stared at the floor. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I can do this stuff, or how. I'll leave if you want me to..." I walked to the door. As I laid a hand on the doorknob, just as I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned, and Doyle put a finger under my chin, forcing me to look at him.  
Over his shoulder, Angel said, "You can stay. You NEED to stay; you have to learn to control your abilities. Otherwise, you will bring destruction to your path, eventually destroying yourself." I met Doyle's eyes, seeing the good intents there, my distrust fading slightly, and I didn't flinch as I met his eyes. The only time someone had bothered to look me in the eyes before was to hurt me, so this was a big achievement. I realized, masking my shock, that his eyes were that same dark green as my own.  
"I already am destroyed; inside I mean."  
  
AN2- This was actually going to be about another page longer... but my head hurts from staring at the screen. It's about 10:00, and I am exhausted... long day. PLEASE review, and I don't care if I get flames or not. Cordelia may not end up appearing in here very much, I can't get her character down just right. Anything I tried in this chapter came out sounding... forced. Not with the goodness. So, yeah. Review, please. New chapter soon. ~Cayt~ 


	3. Chapter the third

Caytlyn 88 Disclaimer- Hey, I just won the lottery! I- wait, no, I STILL don't own the characters. except Cate, that is. Aww, wait, the lottery was fake too? Why me? Everything is so. (sad face. Then, face screwed up in concentration. "What's the word I am looking for?") Ah, well. Darn taxes would have taken most the money anyway.  
  
AN- It's first person POV, Cate's again. I'll work on more POV switches here. Sorry for the wait, but I had mucho tarea (much homework, for the Spanish-ly challenged.) As before read and review, please! I need reviews!  
  
Angel led me downstairs, to his apartment. "You can stay here a while. Until you want to leave." He said, leading me to his living room. "You okay?" I wasn't speaking; I just followed, nodding my head to what he was saying. "Yeah, I'm fine," I said almost inaudibly. "I lost the only person I ever cared about, and I'm cursed, why wouldn't I be fine?" I muttered to myself. Angel overheard, but didn't comment on it. To him, I said, "So, when do you start helping me with my cur- I mean abilities?" Angel told me, "You aren't cursed. You were chosen to have these powers. And we can start whenever you want." "Let's start some now. if that's okay with you?" I said hesitantly. He nodded, and sat down on the sofa, motioning for me to join him. I sat gingerly on the edge of the couch. "First, you need to learn to meditate, to clear your mind of all distractions." He told me. I closed my eyes, and cleared my mind, as I had so often done when my parents were angry. I started my breathing pattern, one for clearing my mind of all thoughts, and pushing away all sounds and pain. I could sense, in a way I couldn't explain, that Angel was looking at me oddly. I opened my eyes, and explained to Angel, "I already knew how to meditate. I learned so I could concentrate better." A slight lie, but he probably wouldn't believe the real reason. No adults ever believed me. "Well. let's start with focus. Concentrate on that glass of water, and bring it here." He said, pointing. I focused on it, and imagined it moving, expecting it to be as easy as that. In the days to come, I'd learn how wrong I was, as the glass only moved an inch, then tipped over. I watched the water run down the side of the table, and sighed. *I hope this isn't an omen of things to come.* I thought dejectedly. Angel glanced over, and said, "Don't be such a pessimist." "You heard me? How?" I asked frantically. "You're apparently telepathic, too. Doyle's heard you before." "I- huh? No, I can't be! Okay, being able to move stuff without touching them is more than enough. Hearing people's thoughts, that's a little too much. Being able to talk to people in my mind is just- " I sat down abruptly. "Screw this. Why me? I mean, I couldn't be normal, NO. It's just too much to ask for, huh? Damnit." I sighed, shoving a stray piece of hair out of my face. "This was given to you for a reason, Cate." Angel said. Suddenly, a book flew off a shelf, coming to Angel, pausing in front of his face. He took it, and put it on the now wet table. The book promptly hovered in front of Angel, flipping pages madly. "Cate, stop. Control it." He looked over, and I was sitting there, eyes closed. He reached over, tapped my hand, and my eyes shot open. I saw the book, and said, "Down?" Hoping it would be as simple as that. It wasn't. I focused, and said, "Stop." The book shuddered, and fell on Angel's lap. "I win." I said firmly. Angel looked at me, and said, "You learn fast. Try to make it go back to the shelf." I quickly focused, and with a dismissive wave, sent it to the shelf. "Good job. Do you want to keep working?" I nodded. The faster I learned this, the faster I could leave it alone. Doyle came down the stairs a while later, and found me and Angel, still working. Angel would tell me something, and I was to direct it to where he told me to put it. I stopped when I saw him, and Angel, following my gaze, called out, "Doyle, she's learning. Fast. Come here." The man, Doyle, came down, and went over to Angel. When he passed by me, he staggered, and fell, holding his head. I backed away, and Angel rushed to his side. I went to a corner, "I didn't do it. I'm sorry. I always hurt everyone." After a few moments, Angel helped Doyle to a couch. I came over slowly. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" "It was a vision," Angel started to explain, and it all clicked into place for me: how they'd found me in the first place, and how they knew I needed help. Angel was about to continue talking, but Doyle interrupted, "Angel, you need to go now." He gave an address, and said, "Sorry. I don't think I can come this time." Angel nodded; "That's okay, Doyle. Try to feel better. Cate, Doyle's gonna stay here with you, okay?" I nodded. Angel left, and I went over to Doyle. "So, you have visions?" "Yeah, a real pain in the neck, if you ask me." He replied, his Irish accent showing through. "They were given to me by the Powers That Be. My atonement and all." I nodded. "How do you stand them if they hurt that bad?" "I have no idea." "So, where does Angel keep the Tylenol? You look like you could use some," I said shyly. I still wasn't all that confident around people, and when I was nervous, I either tended to tense up, and be silent, or ramble and talk too much. Looked like today I was dealing with the latter. "In the kitchen, second cabinet to the right of the fridge." I went into the kitchen, and found the medicine and a glass of water. I brought them to Doyle, then backed away. "You didn't do it, you know." "Huh?" He said quietly, "You didn't make the vision happen. Why do you think you did?" "Angel said I was telepathic. If I am, doesn't that mean I could reach in someone's mind and hurt them? And I hurt people a lot." I said. "I thought I had hurt you." "No," Doyle said. "It wasn't you." At that moment, a demon burst into the apartment. Don't they always? I fell back, on the couch next to Doyle. I was scared, after all, demons were still new to me, but I didn't scream. I hid my emotions, as I'd been taught. Doyle rose, however unsteadily, and moved in front of me. *What is he doing?* I yelled, thinking to myself. Then, I heard a reply; *Protectin' you. I help the helpless, part of the job.* "You heard that?" He nodded, just as the demon lunged at him. The demon was about six feet tall, and yelled, "Guardian!" as it attacked. Doyle was thrust aside, and fell to the floor. The demon approached me, and I backed off the couch, into a corner. It followed me, and said gratingly, "Come. You are needed." I shook my head vehemently. "No. I'm not needed." "Fine, be that way." The demon said something incomprehensible, in a gravelly voice. At that instant, Doyle grabbed a sword, coming over to the demon. There was a flash of light, and everything disappeared. I blinked away the blindness, found myself on a street, and bolted upright. Had I just dreamed all this? I sat up, and thought that there was something missing. I realized, there was none of the noise I had become accustomed to hearing in LA. It was silent, and as I looked, there were no cars, no people, no- well, no life. I heard footsteps, looked over, and saw Doyle running over to me. "Where are we?" I asked. "There aren't any people or anything here. Just demons; we aren't in our dimension anymore." Doyle answered. 


	4. Chapter the Fourth

Caytlyn 88 Presence Chapter 4 Disclaimer- Hey, what do you know. I still don't own anything... don't sue! Just a highschool kid! Leave the poor, defenseless girl alone, please?  
  
A/N Okay, here we go again. Sorry about the last chapter... the computer seems to have... eaten it, for lack of a better term. This one, hopefully shall turn out better. Umm, we'll try to have telepathy surrounded on both sides by one * thingy, and two **on each side of thoughts. I am still trying to figure out hot to just use bold and italics to telepathy and thoughts, but it won't play nice (pouting look). If anyone know how to lemme know, please?  
  
Presence, Chapter the fourth  
  
"We're not in our dimension anymore," Doyle's words echoed in my head. How could there be other dimensions? Okay, I was starting to regret that I had ever left home, that I had ever started getting involved in all this new stuff.  
"H-how can we not be... there are other dimensions?" I asked frantically. I was still new to the whole supernatural scene, and this was freaking me out.  
Doyle watched me, and said, "Yes, there are other dimensions. I don't know how, but we need ta find a way back." I nodded silently, shocked. I looked around, and saw we were still in Los Angeles, or at least a version of it. There were no people here, just an eery silence. It was almost loud, because it was so quiet. I recognized the alley, as the one where that guy had tried to hit on me. I stilled myself, hiding the shudder I felt.  
Suddenly, there was a thud behind us, and I had the wild thought maybe it was the drunk, back to finish the job. I whipped around, and Doyle rose to his feet. He reached behind him to me, hauling me by the elbow to my feet. He kept his eyes on a shadow where the sound had emanted from. Another thud followed, by a shuffling like footsteps. I turned forward, and began running, falling easily into the pattern of breathing I had become used to. I began to run, Doyle behind me, eventually drawing even with me.  
We got to the street, which, as I said before, was empty. This was a lucky thing, because even though I had been running a lot lately, I was going through that clumbsy stage all teenagers so happily go through, and tripped over my feet. I fell to the pavement, but instantly rebounded to my feet. I stumbled a step, and resumed running, feet pounding against the pavement.  
Doyle was ahead of me now, and glanced over his shoulder. I looked back too, and saw a shadow following us, though not quite as fast in pursuit as we were running. I looked forward again, and Doyle was gone. Confused, I ran a few steps farther, and stopped. I went over to a building to lean against it, and look for Doyle. I saw no sign of anyone, anywhere, and then began to panic.  
Just then, an arm reached out of the darkness, and yanked me in. I was pulled through a hidden doorway, and I tried to scream. A hand clamped itself over my mouth, and a face was thrust in front of mine.  
I could just make out the glint of green eyes, and the features of Doyle's face, and I stopped struggling against him. He released me, and I looked around. We were in some sort of building, and it looked like some sort of studio.  
"Umm, is it safe here?" I whispered. Doyle put his hand back over my mouth, and whispered, "Use your telepathy." His hand felt warm and strong against my mouth, comforting me ever so slightly.  
*I- Um, can you hear this?* I thought, hoping he could. I was thinking like I usually did, only... louder, in a way. I was going to get a headache from this, I could just tell. I focused slightly, and imagined Doyle hearing it.  
*Yeah, I can hear you, Cate.* His response felt like I was thinking, then my thoughts were redirected. I was learning this, and how it felt! Maybe when I learned it, I could just ignore it.  
**So, how do we get out of here?** I thought. I didn't focus as much this time, getting a little cocky. There was no response. *Hello?* I asked, somewhat indignantly.  
*What, what'd I do?* Doyle thought back, a little shocked.  
*Nothing. I guess I don't have very good control over this thing yet.* I said, a little dejectedly. i hid the feeling from my voice, though. Just as always.  
I looked at the shadows, and one seemed to move. I glared at it harder, as if I could improve my vision by doing so. As I did this, Doyle began talking to me comfortingly. The tone in his voice made me shy away slightly, unnerved by the idea that someone I barely knew could care about me any so soon, let alone at all. *Cate, you're still new at this. Don' expect so much so soon. You're doin' jus' fine.* Even in his mind voice, his Irish accent carried through.  
*Why are you being so nice? You don't even know me. Aren't you scared I'll read your mind, or hurt you, or-* I began to ramble, and Doyle cut me off.  
*Nah, I trust ya. I may not know ya very well yet, but the Powers That Be sent me a vision of you ta help you. I get vision of people Angel 'n I are supposed to help. If I got a vision o' you, you are obviously a good person.*  
I looked at him, eyes wide. For a person to have that much faith in me... I was shocked. Strangely, I wasn't at all surprised by the notion of higher powers. Maybe I was getting to the point where nothing could surprise me anymore Why did the Powers want to save me? I was just a girl with a few tricks. I was nothing special- my parents had drilled this into my head over and over. I shoved away the thoughts of my parents, angry. I had told myself that part of my life was over, and here I was dwelling on it again.  
The shadow I had been watching over Doyle's shoulder suddenly moved again. As I stared at it, willing it to move again so I had proof, it darted forward. I shoved Doyle to the floor, as the demon that emerged moved toward me.  
  
~Doyle's POV~  
  
The girl shoved me to the floor with speed that shocked me, and left me wondering what was going on here. Why had she shoved me to the floor? What was going on?  
I looked up, and saw a demon charging Cate, and vaguely realized that was what she had seen, and why I was on the floor. The demon approached the girl, who was frozen. Just as the demon was about to grab her, I kicked her legs out from under her. The move wasn't as good or as graceful as Angel would had managed, but it got the job done. The demon flew by overhead, as Cate hit the ground, and rolled aside.  
As it came back, I saw it in more detail. It had pocked skin, oozing some kinda slimy stuff. It grinned, and showed blood-caked teeth. It began to look for us, and I froze.  
Suddenly, Cate thought to me, *Don't move. It can only see us when we move.* Amazed, I asked, *How do you know?*  
*I don't know. Its just came to me. It's weird. All of a sudden, I... I just knew...* She began to ramble. I told her, *Shh. It's okay, I understand.* A pause, then, *You do?*  
I didn't, not really, but I could have Angel solve this later. I just hoped she couldn't hear my thoughts ALL the time...  
Then, Cate said, *Hold on, I have an idea.*  
  
The girl turned away from Doyle, and focused on a cabinet that had drawn her attention in the corner. She persuaded it to open, remembering what Angel had been trying to teach her only hours before.  
She felt her power rush through her, filling her, before streaming out through her hand as she gestured to the cabinet. Her power tickled slightly, as she pointed slowly, gently at the cabinet, and felt a pulling at her mind. She was learning this! A thrill rushed through her as she felt the power she contained, held closed all these years. A rush, that told the young psychic she could do SO much more than this. The power beckoned her, singing to her... soon, it would be free.  
  
As I watched, I felt Cate turn away from me mentally, and watched as a cabinet began to open. And in the cabinet... a bunch of weapons. *Now, who just leaves a bunch of stories lying around?* She asked me idly, and I could hear excitement in her tone, the first emotion I had heard from her all day.  
The girl finally stopped, and I tensed, ready to move. She was breathing hard, from the task, and I wondered, again, just how much power did she have? Suddenly, I rolled to my feet, and darted to the cabinet. The first thing my hand fell on, was a sword, which I yanked out.  
I looked back, and saw the demon had seen Cate, but missed me. It nudged her with a toe, and she looked at it, frozen in fear once more.  
*W-what's it doing?* She asked me. *I don't know, but DON'T MOVE* I told her. Unbeknownst to me, more demons filed into the room, behind me. Instead, Cate saw, and began to rise, despite what I had told her. She rolled onto her side, and the demon kicked her lightly back down.  
Then, the demon kicked her again, and said, "Rise. Or you will die."  
Looking to me for approval, Cate began to rise once more, albeit cautiously this time, looking as if she expected another kick. She stood, and automatically moved to me, standing so we were back to back. She was only three or four inches shorter than I was.  
The demon spoke again, and said, "Girl, you are needed."  
"M-me? N-no, I'm not needed, I, um, no." She stuttered. "Y-you've got the wrong person."  
*Shh, Cate, it's fine. Nothin' is gonna happen to ya.* I said mentally, hoping to keep her calm. Hesitantly, I pressed my free hand to hers at our sides.  
  
Cate flinched, when Doyle's hand touched hers. She had never had anyone touch her hand like this before. Not unless it was to hurt her.  
She yanked her hand away, and asked, *What are you doing?* She hated the way her nervousness and anxiety found their way into her voice. Weakness- no! She couldn't show weakness, it would all come back again. She was already getting too close to Angel and Doyle, and she couldn't let that happen. She was jolted back to the present when she heard Doyle's mind voice saying something.  
*Okay, on three, I gonna start attackin'. You try to push them away from you, with your power. Try to stay by me, and when I tell you to go, run.* She nodded, knowing he could feel her nod against his neck. *One... Two...* Out loud, she whispered, "Three."  
Doyle darted away from her, and Cate began to focus on a demon as it grabbed her arm. The majority of the demons went after Doyle, as he swung what she now realized was a sword at them. The sword sang through the air, then made a sickly sound the girl immediately tried to forget, as it sliced through a demon's arm. It howled, and the demons all retreated. For the moment.  
  
AN- Well, I hope this was long enough for you. Next one up soon- I am finally free! Okay, maybe not QUITE free, but close enough... for school. Anyway, R&R for more, and lemme know how the POV switch worked. I think I will try to stick to third person from now on, though. ~Cayt 


	5. Chapter the fifth

Caytlyn 88 Presence October 24, 2003  
  
Disclaimer- No, I don't own anyone involving ANGEL, except the character Cate. Don't sue me?  
  
A/N. Okay, so I didn;t get any reviews on the last chapter. Did I make you all angry? I'm sorry... please review, so I know if anyone is actually reading this, or I am just talking to myself here... please?  
  
Presence, chapter the fifth  
  
The demons all retreated, momentarily, at least. Cate and Doyle were still surrounded, with any chance of escape cut off. A demon suddenly lunged, and Doyle was again trying to fend it off. "Now, why won't ya play nicely? Wha'd we ever do to ya?"  
  
Meanwhile, the girl backed into a corner, and a demon boldly reached for her arm. She tried to shove the demon away mentally as it held her arm in a grip sure to leave bruises. As she did, the demon staggered back a step, dragging her with it. **Again!** she thought to herself. She shoved again, and the demon finally let go. It flew, smashing through a wall, leaving a huge cloud of dust in it's wake.  
  
As Doyle hacked the head off of one of the demons, he thought distractedly to the girl, *Good job, girl.* She glanced over, just in time to see Doyle blind-sided by a second demon. The sword flew out of his grip, clattering across the ground. It came to rest at Cate's feet, as Doyle fell to the round, stunned.  
  
Cate picked the sword up. As she lifted it, she felt the warm hilt cool to her hand. It became ice cold, the with an almost static-like shock, warmed to a comfortable temperature. She had never held a sword before. As a demon approached, though, it looked like she was about to get a crash course.  
  
Cate swung the sword experimentally, and felt a force rip through her. Not a force, magic force, just a force like you are doing something you are really good at, and you know everything is going to be okay. The rush of excitement flowed through her, and the sword felt... right, like she had been doing this her whole life.  
  
The strike was a bit clumsy, but with a natural grace. Doyle watched, wide eyed, as the swing cut deeply, and the demon growled, as it retreated. He watched as Cate's eyes widened, even as he yelled, "Keep goin', girl!"  
  
***Meanwhile, back in LA***  
  
Angel walked back into the office, only to find it empty. He entered through the sewer access, even though it was now after dark. He was covered in slime and demon blood, so it was less conspicuous to enter this way. Even for LA, this look was a *little* too extreme.  
  
As he entered, Angel saw the lights in his apartment were on, but his hearing told him the offices were empty, as was his apartment. Where had Doyle and the girl, Cate gotten to? He sighed, and thought, **Well, I'll try Doyle's place. Maybe he had to go home for something, and took Cate with him. If he took her out to a bar, though, I'll have to kill him...**  
  
Angel stepped into the living area, and was struck by an unfamiliar scent. There was a new demon scent, as well as the scent of spent ozone, the aftermath of magic. Had something happened?  
  
With an increased sense of urgency, Angel grabbed the phone, and dialed Doyle's number. It rang repetitively in his ear, but no one answered. He hing up, sighed, and then tried Doyle's cell.  
  
As he held the phone to his ear, Angel heard a ringing in the room. Angel glanced over, and groaned when he saw Doyle's cell phone lying on the table, under his leather jacket.  
  
**Idiot! The point of HAVING a cell phone is to have it WITH you...** Then Angel gave up on that thought, realizing that half time, he didn't have his own cell either...  
  
Sighing, Angel then tried Cordelia's number. He listened as her phone rang... and rang... and rang... and rang. Finally, a tired voice answered, "Hullo?"  
  
"Cordy, it's me. Have you heard from Doyle?" He listened as she replied, "No, why? Did you find that girl? And why is it so important to find Doyle that you had to interrupt my beauty sleep? Do you know *how* hard it is to look acceptable every day in out kind of job? The kind of..."  
  
Angel cut her off, by answering the first two questions. "No; the girl found us. Doyle had a vision, and when I got back, they were both gone. You seen 'em?"  
  
"No, Angel. I haven't seen Doyle all day, let alone that girl you are all so worried about. If she can move things without touching them, she certainly isn't helpless, did I tell you that?"  
  
Angel sighed, and asked, "Cordelia. Can you help me look for them?" Pause, then, "Are you CRAZY? Angel, it's midnight, and this girl-"  
  
"Needs our help, Cordy. Now, are you going to help us live up to the motto thingy, "We Help the Helpless," or not?" A heavy sigh, then, "You know, you really aren't that big of a conversationalist, are you? Fine, I'll help you. Just pick me up in half an hour, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, Cordelia hung up.  
  
A/N- Okay, I think this is shorter than usual, but sorry. I have hit writer's block, and my muse has been incapacitated. Well, please read and REVIEW... I didn't get any on my last chapter, and I felt sad... please review, and tell me how my story is going. I would also accept any help on ideas of what should happen next. ~Cayt 


	6. Chapter the Sixth

Author's Note  
  
Caytlyn 88  
  
November 23, 2003. Sunday  
  
Re: Delays  
  
Okay, hey, everyone who still bother's to read this. I am so sorry about the long wait, again, to anyone who is reading this. I have been extremely busy. First, one of my friends was going through a hard time, and needed help. Then, my parents have started fighting, and that takes away ANY concentration I may have. Third, I have been having trouble in Chemistry; I swear, the teacher is EVIL! My grades have been going form bad to worse there, and I had to yank those up. So sorry, all... and I didn't mean to bombard you with my sobstory... so here, here you go. This may be a little short, but I have also hit writer's block. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.  
  
Presence, Chapter the sixth  
  
~In Los Angeles...~  
  
Angel pulled up outside Cordelia's apartment building, and began to get out. He was lost in his thoughts, so all his actions were on auto- pilot.  
  
He got up to Cordelia's door, and the door swung open automatically. "Thanks, Dennis," Angel said distractedly. As he walked in briskly, he heard Cordelia calling from the bedroom, "I'll be out in a minute, Angel."  
  
A few minutes later, Cordelia came out, dressed impeccably, as usual. "So, what happened?" She grabbed her coat, and waited for Angel to answer.  
  
"Well, Doyle had a vision, and..." Angel proceeded to inform Cordy on his version of events, up to when he came back and found the offices empty. Cordelia listened quietly, then raised an eyebrow, and asked skeptically, "What if Doyle just decided to go out on a walk? What if nothing is wrong?"  
  
Angel thought on that a moment, then conceeded, "Well, I guess that could... no. Doyle would have taken his jacket with him. It was left on the couch, with his cell phone."  
  
"Are you sure that Doyle didn't just get a late night craving for beer?" Angel asked pointedly, "And take a minor girl, whom we're supposed to be helping, along with him? He wouldn't do that, Cordy."  
  
Cordelia took on a look of mollification. "Yeah," she agreed. "Even Doyle wouldn't be THAT dumb. Let's go find Doyle, and-?"  
  
"Cate." Angel supplied.  
  
~Meanwhile, in the other place...~  
  
With a natural grace, Cate advanced slightly on the demon. *I have NO idea what I'm doing...* she told Doyle. Suddenly, as if she had sensed what was going to happen, she ducked under a swing, and thrust the sword cleanly up. The blade cut through the demon's arm, and it withdrew.  
  
*I think I'm gonna be sick when this is done. C-Can you take this?* A sudden flurry of movement, and suddenly, two demon were left lying on the floor, dead. *Oh, no, you've got this. You've got the talent here.* Doyle hurriedly said.  
  
A few minutes later, the demons, or at least the ones who hadn't run off, lay on the floor, in various states of death and unconsciousness.  
  
Cate ran out the door, back into the street. As Doyle followed, he heard the sword fall to the ground, with a metallic clang. Then, he heard the sound of Cate throwing up, and he awkwardly came to her.  
  
"Oh, god. I k-killed them. Oh, my god. N-no," she said stammeringly. "I... what is w-wrong with me?" Doyle stood over her awkwardly, and said, "Nothing is wrong with ya. Ya only had to do... that... because they attacked ya."  
  
"Not helping." She snapped. Her face was pale, and she trembled very slightly. "So, now what?" She asked a few minutes later. Doyle shrugged. "Well, we have to go somewhere, don't we? A-and, we have to get ho- I mean, back."  
  
"Let's see where we can go for now," Doyle said. He didn't want to give the girl any false hope; he had no idea where they were, let alone how to get back. He knew Angel would figure out sooner or later they were gone, but the real question was, would he find where they had gone?  
  
~A/N. Well, I WILL update the next one soon. PLEASE review. I am truly sorry for the delay, but I hope you understand. So, review, and make me happy? ;) Apologies, ~Cayt~ 


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